Journey to Jeremiah - Part 1

How do I even begin to put into words the past two weeks?  The past year really.  What started out as a fuzzy picture of a little boy in a "stylish" jogging suit and a pretty thin medical file with some scary predictions - brought us to a place that I have always dreamed of going........

CHINA!!!!

And that little boy up there - well, here he is today!

This picture was taken less than one week after he was placed in our arms.  Those eyes, those outstretched arms.  The very heart of God wrapped up in the joyous smile of a child who now has a forever family.  A Mama and Baba of his very own - always and forever.  There is no greater joy on this earth.  And friends, there is NO medical file scary enough to not be worth seeing that smile directed at you.  Our God is bigger, He is greater - and He is in the business of moving mountains and making scary predictions doable - just because He is there.

So, let's back up.  The paper pregnancy started in early April when we received the file.  It was the only one we looked at.  Much the same as we had done with Patrick almost six years ago, we prayed simply that God would send us our child.  That we would not have to say no to a file.  We looked it over, prayed about it, sent it to a couple of doctors we know, and we said yes.  In a span of 24 hours.  We sent it to the doctors, not for "approval" or a yes or no, but for a "tell us what to do next" kind of thing.  We knew.  When the picture from the file came up on the computer screen for the first time, Patrick said, "There he is.  That's my baby brother."  Through tears, Stan replied, "Go get him."   

So, I went.  The paper process was excruciating.  I won't lie.  I have given birth four times, in every manner you can conceive of.  I have adopted domestically.  And there is not much that compares to the international process.  It is brutal.  The sheer amount of documents that must be notarized, certified, authenticated. The acronyms - LOI, PA, USCIS approval, TA..... What does all that mean, you ask?  It means that instead of hours over the toilet with morning sickness, it is hours in the car with your files of documents.  Going to the courthouse, going to the notary, going to the UPS store.  The guy at the UPS store we use literally hugged me one day and said "I hope you are almost done, you look really tired."  Bless him.  

It was hard.  But that smile.  I would start again today.  

So, finally - finally the TA arrived.  That means Travel Approval - and all the rest of it begins to fade.

"Book your flights," were the best words our agency uttered during the entire year!!!

So, we did.  Our Gotcha Day was exactly ten and a half months after that picture slowly rolled onto our computer screen and that little face became a part of our lives forever.  

Here we are!  February 10th, 2016 - leaving Seattle for the long flight to Beijing!!  Look out China - Patrick is coming!!!  

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our journey to Jeremiah!!